Box Office upset: Clooney gets kneecapped by The Rock and Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry’s “Why Did I Get Married” killed at the box office this weekend. Double the gross receipts of A List star George Clooney’s legal drama “Michael Clayton.”

Hollywood pundit Nikki Finke notes that “except for his ensemble movies — the franchise Ocean’s 11, 12 & 13 or A Perfect Storm or Batman & Robin– not one George Clooney-starring movie has ever opened big at the domestic box office despite plenty of hype.”

Yet he keeps getting hired as the top salaried star – especially at Warners, notes Finke, because he’s considered a big name internationally.

Number 1 spot is Tyler Perry’s comedy, “Why Did I Get Married” with the best per screen average ($4,550 Saturday) in its 2,011 theaters.

Perry is now one of Hollywood’s “most reliable box office brands” writes Finke, again able to tap into a deep reservoir of comedic mayhem and melodrama that his moviegoers love seeing. Despite bad reviews for the film, Perry smells like a rose with film goers.

Number 3 spot went to Warner’s R-rated “Michael Clayton” which made $11 million from 2,511 runs.

TIE Number 4 spot went to “The Game Plan” with a weekend gross was $11.5 million from 3,128 venues, bringing its total to $59.4 million.

TIE Number 4 spot went to Sony’s R-rated “We Own The Night”, the thriller starring Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg finished with $11 million from 2,362 plays.

Number 5 spot went to DreamWorks / Paramount’s “The Heartbreak Kid.” The Ben Stiller film made $7.4 million this weekend from 3,233 dates, new total is $26 million.

Number 6 spot is Universal’s PG-13 “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” opened with intense Oscar buzz for Cate Blanchett. The costume drama’s opening box office of $6.1 million from 2,001 dates.

Number 7 spot was Universal’s war thriller “The Kingdom” with Jamie Foxx taking in $4.5 million from 2,836 theaters for a new total of $39.9 million.

Number 8 spot was Sony / Revolution’s “Across The Universe,” directed by Julie Taymor, made $4 million from just 954 venues for a new total of $12.9 million.

Number 9 spot was “Resident Evil 3″ from Sony / Screen Gems, a new total of of $48 million after it made $2.6 million from 2,249 dates this weekend.

Number 10 spot was Fox/Walden’s “The Seeker” taking in $2.1 million from 3,173 theaters for a new total of $7.1 million.

Note the date on this article may be incorrect due to importing it from our old system.